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Caleb Brooks (1632-1696)
}} Biography CALEB m. (1) SUSANNAH ATKINSON 1660, and had SUSANNAH, MARY, REBECCA, andSARAH; and (2) ANN ( ), by whom he had EBENEZER, ancestor of Governor JOHN BROOKS,and SAMUEL, ancesto r of HON. PETER C. BROOKS, He sold his estate inConcord in 1670, and removed to Medford. "He lived in Concord until 1680, when he moved to Medford, and occupiedmost of the land purch ased by his father, and supposed to have been soldto him by his brother Joshua," say Bond." Shattuck records the date of the move as 1670, a decade earlier. Gravestone Gravestone of Caleb/2a Brooks, Medford, MA. (Photo: Alex Stevens,courtesy Delores Tousinau ) Caleb/2a Brooks was born about 1632,probably in England. (He was 51 in a 1684 deposi tion, and 64 at his deathper g.s.).2,3 Admitted a freeman of Concord, MA, 3 May 1654.4 Ther e hemarried (1), 10 Apr 1660, Susannah/2 Atkinson of Concord, daughter ofThomas/1? Atkinson a nd Susan (?).5,6 In 1666 he owned 12 lots comprising150 acres in the East District, taxes o n which were abated in full thatyear.7 Estate of Thomas Brooks Caleb's father Thomas died at Concord, intestate, 21 May 1667. Whereas Thomas Brooks, of Concord, hath left an estate, and the sonnes ofthe said Thomas no t willing to troable the Court have Joyntly agreed thatit shall be divided as followeth . First That the Inventory takenby Deacon Mirriam, Deacon Potter, and George Wheele r shall be accountedthe full estate of Thomas Brooks. 2ly. wee do agree that JoshuaBrook s shall have a full double portion out of the lands at Meadford, andthe 3: other sonnes, Capt . Timothy Wheeler, Caleb Brookes, and GershomBrookes to have equall portions, only Caleb an d Gershom are to have theremainder of the said land after Joshua is first accomodated as a pa rt oftheir portion, and Timothy Wheeler out of the moveable estate, and all tobe distribute d to them by those 3. partyes that tooke the Inventory; untowhose finall determination we d o severally bynd ourselves in a bond of100Ð apeece, to stand unto, as wee do witness by setti ng of our hands tothis present writeing, the 17th of June. 1667. In the presence of us. Hugh Mason, Joseph Estabrookes. Timothy Wheeler, Joshua Brookes, Caleb Brookes, GershomBrookes.8,9 His father's inventory included "a debt Caleb Brooke to pay out of theMill at winottimie" obably Menotomy, the early name for present-dayArlington of Ð80.10,9 Estate of Caleb Brooks He died at Medford 29 Jul 1696.14,19 Buried with his wife Hannah in SalemSt. Cemetery, wher e their beautifully carved gravestones, inscribed withelaborate skull and hourglass motifs, a re wonderfully preserved.14 Hisgravestone reads, Here lyes ye body of | Caleb Brooks | Aged 6 4 years |Died July 29 | 1696.14 His estate was probated in Aug 1696. By a settlement agreement signed by the widow and childre n, Hannah was to have a third of the personal estate forever, and a third of the income of th e real estate during her life.Son Ebenezer to have 30 acres of land, the house his father die d in, two-thirds of the utensils of husbandry, and two thirds of the household stuff after hi s mother has had her third, and half the rest of the lands.Son Samuel to have the household h e then possessed, half of all the lands except the 30 acres given to Ebenezer, a third of th e utensils ofhusbandry, and a third of the household stuff after his mother has hadher third . Ebenezer and Samuel to split the corn and cattle, their father's debts and the funeral charg es. Son-in-law Nathaniel Ball and Mary his wife to have Ð110 in money. Daughter Sarah to hav e Ð80 in moneyand a convenient room in the house her father died in as long as she remains single. Daughter Rebecca, not being capable to act for herself,as is represented for want of understanding, her two brothers Ebenezerand Samuel gave bond for her care, and to take her estat e into theirhands.20 The inventory of Caleb's estate amounted to Ð6,300-14s., a considerablefortune for those days .. Much of the estate in Medford was given or soldby subsequent generations of descendants t o the town (now city); the landon which the modern Oak Grove Cemetery lies, for example, wa s part of theoriginal estate. The 82.5 acres remaining today, known as the BrooksEstate, is o wned by the City of Medford..21,22 Marriage & Family Susannah Atkinson died at Concord 19 Jan 1668/69, a month afterchildbirth.13 Caleb married (2 ), c 1670, Hannah/2 Atkinson, supposed to have been a sister of his first wife.6,14 "He removed to Medford," says Charles Brooks, "where he inherited some land lying east from the Wearr Bridge. His house was situated about midway between the bridge andthe Lowell Railroad, imm ediately in front of the Woburn Road. It was torn down in 1779, by his great-grandson, Samuel. "15 In the will of Timothy Wheeler, made 1 Mar 1686/7, Mr. James Minot,brother Caleb Brooks, an d nephew Sergeant Wheeler were named to see thewill duly performed.16,17,18 Caleb was named s ole executor and left Ð5 inthe will of his sister Mary (Brooks) Wheeler, dated 20 Apr 1691.18 ,9 Children of Caleb/2a Brooks and Susannah/2 Atkinson Susan/3a Brooks (excluded)23 Mary/3a Brooks (excluded)24 Mary/3a Brooks (excluded)25 Rebecca/3a Brooks (excluded)26 Sarah/3a Brooks (excluded)27 Children of Caleb/2a Brooks and Hannah/2 Atkinson Capt. Ebenezer/3a Brooks (excluded)28 Capt. Samuel/3a Brooks (excluded)29 References * Caleb Brooks - Rootsweb